This has been an average summer in Germany, with weather the way I recall it from my childhood in Bavaria—temps in the 60s and 70s Fahrenheit, occasional sun and frequent showers. This is why I like to use every opportunity I can get to catch some Vitamin D. And so, I sometimes sit out there on the patio of my B&B in Kaiserslautern—squeezed in between a little staircase and some trash cans, sipping my afternoon coffee and going over my Persian flashcards. Sometimes my upstairs neighbor, a young man who works from home, comes out for a smoke. “Michael” is your classic German Gen Z guy—completely disconnected from Christianity but also not hostile toward it. We usually chat about soccer, but occasionally also about my missionary work. The other day he came down as I was sitting there studying Persian and asked how my language studies are coming along. “Making progress…” I replied. “Why are you studying Persian anyway?” he asked. “Because there are half a million migrants here in Germany whose native language is Persian. They come from Iran and Afghanistan.” He raised his eyebrows: “Aren’t all those people Muslim? That must be tough, talking to them about Christianity…” “For many of them, that is the case,” I replied. “But did you know where Christianity is growing the fastest? In Iran!” “Really!” he replied, surprised. “Maybe that hard-core Islam they have there is driving some of them toward Christianity…” “Bingo,” I replied. “The catch is that back home those people have to remain secret Christians, because to openly convert would be deadly.” “So where do you come in?” Michael asked. “Many pastors and missionaries here are learning Persian so we can make Christianity more accessible to those who are interested.” “Is it difficult to learn?” he wondered. “It’s not easy, but it’s worth it. Because we want to be God’s tools as He expands His Kingdom—one migrant at a time.” Michael took a drag, nodded, and didn’t disagree. *** “But when they believed Philip as he preached good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women” (Acts 8:12).
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